Jerry credits his wife for his success

She does everything. If it wouldn’t be for her, I don’t know what I would do.”

Jerry Jakubowicz

Local septic tank cleaning company, Rural Septic Service wins Pumper Magazine’s national award for 2022 Classy Truck of the Year! “I was totally shocked! That’s a national award,” Jerry Jakubowicz exclaimed describing how he didn’t expect to win the very first contest that they entered. “This is going to be a joke. I’m never going to win this,” Jerry thought. “I was totally shocked and surprised.”  But his 2020 Peterbilt 567 powered by a Cummins X15 100^th Anniversary edition 450 hp engine with a 5,000-gallon steel tank exceeded the challenge. The 10^th truck he has purchased for his company so far, Jerry’s Peterbilt is equipped with more bells and whistles than your ordinary truck.  “I’m really fussy with my equipment,” Jakubowicz explains. “I’ve got more goodies on there than 90 percent of the people that do what I do. As I get older, I need to work smarter not harder.” Some of the improvements Jakubowicz made include, internal wiring and piping, all stainless fasteners, front and back strobe lighting, shorter hose runs and smoother hose trays. He also added double heated valves, front load valve and Durabrite wheels for their long-lasting shine.

 A far cry from his newly crowned Classy Truck of the Year, Jerry’s first truck was a small 1964 Ford with a 1,500-gallon boiler tank. Now Jerry regularly replaces his trucks since it’s cheaper to do that than to sink money into repairing older trucks. “I’m not driving junk. I’m way too proud of my business. I’m very fussy,” Jakubowicz describes himself.  Born and raised in Boyd, WI., Jerry is proud of Rural Septic Service and that shows as he describes the care he puts into his trucks.  “People really compliment me on a clean truck,” he remarks adding that a clean truck makes a good impression on his customers. Jerry also believes that having a well-maintained clean truck stands out and shows reliability to customers. “That’s my goal, it’s got to be clean. To be honest with you, I think it paid off.”

 When asked how he keeps his trucks so clean, he admits to washing them for an hour every week. “I wash them myself by hand. I’m too particular, I have to do it myself,” Jerry adds explaining that he uses a wash mitt instead of a brush. “I’m so fussy I don’t want to scratch the paint.” And he is very particular about the type of soap he uses to wash the trucks. “Dawn dish soap is the absolute best soap I’ve found over the years because it cuts grease, dirt. I buy that by the case,” Jerry raves. “Nowadays you get what you paid for.”

Rural Septic Service trucks have always been painted red and when asked why he chooses that color Jakubowicz answers, “It’s easy to spot with the graphics I have on there. Red is an easy color to see in the wintertime when the roads are snow covered. Red is going to show up in a snowstorm long before black and white. That’s just my opinion.”

Jerry and his wife, Chris, purchased Rural Septic Service in 1984 and for the past 40 years worked hard to build their company based in Boyd, Wisconsin into what it is today. “This opportunity came up, so I jumped on it, and it paid off,” Jerry remarks on why he initially bought the company changing over from construction to septic service. Jerry describes how the pumping industry has changed since he first began. “When I bought that business, it was $25 to pump a septic tank and $20 to pump a holding tank.” He remarks that years ago they could land spread everything but now it goes to the wastewater treatment plant. “As far as I’m concerned, I think that what I’m doing now is for the good. I’m a firm believer in protecting the environment. I don’t want my grandkids or great grandkids drinking contaminated water,” he explains, adding that he believes in safety and professionalism.

Jerry credits his wife, Chris with the company’s success. “She does everything. If it wouldn’t be for her, I don’t know what I would do,” Jakubowicz responds appreciatively. While his work is important to him, Jerry is the first to admit that spending time with his family matters more.  His business originally kept him busy on the weekends but that quickly changed. He mentions, “I will not work a weekend. I like to spend time with my wife, kids, and grandkids.” He continues, “Life is getting short. I love going to work. I love what I do. I get up every morning and thank God for three things- number one, I’m alive, number two, I’m healthy, and number three, I can go to work today.” Ever thankful for his business, Jerry won’t complain but is grateful to be able to work every day and plans to continue doing just that.  He says, “I have no intentions of retiring. I’m going for 50 years! That’s my goal. I want to say I cleaned tanks for 50 years. I feel good. I’m happy to go to work every day.” He adds,” I never complain about my job. Don’t complain. Get up and thank the Lord you can go to work today.”